Maria Pace Chiavari
Cassava bread to wheat loaves
“Without flour, man cannot live,” said Luís da Câmara Cascudo, when exploring the history of food in Brazil.7 But the flour that he mentioned is made from cassava root, a staple food for Brazil’s indigenous peoples. It could be used to make what was known as ‘earth bread’ (pão da terra), which was widely eaten by Brazilians.8 However, it failed to please every palate,9 with demands for locally-grown wheat, particularly among European immigrants. Reconstituting the eating habits of their homelands was a core condition for them to maintain their cultural identity in this new country. Reports written by two Viceroys (the Marquês do Lavradio and Luís de Vasconcelos) during the second half of the XVIII century mentioned the possibility of growing wheat in southern Brazil, where the climate was more favorable for this crop.10 However, the high humidity of this tropical climate delayed the first harvests from these wheatfields.
The arrival of the Portuguese Court in Rio de Janeiro in 1808 whilst the historical event that triggered the most changes in the lifestyles of Brazilians. Soon after the Royal Family landed, new rules forcing the city to adapt to European habits included bread made from wheat flour. With only a few bakers working in the colonial capital, it was not easy to respond to the tastes of the Court and its entourage. The solution was to import wheat flour – which was how wheat bread finally made its debut on elegant Brazilian tables, as a luxury product!
Producing wheat flour to make bread was a mirror forcing Brazil to become more aware of its development levels, while at the same time serving as an incentive for modernization, ushering Brazil into the Industrial Era. At the same time, sweeping innovations were reshaping the grinding and milling sector on the other side of the Atlantic Ocean. 11 [III]
Thanks to these new technologies, modern machines were shortening production times and enhancing the quality of the resulting flour. The introduction of this new system into Brazil meant that importing wheat became worthwhile, despite the cost. When selecting the best location for this modern industrialization process, priority was given to Rio de Janeiro, due to the advantageous economic and political conditions offered by this city. The image that best symbolizes this major transition for an entire nation is a loaf of wheat bread: in just a few years, it took its place on Brazilian tables as the nation’s ‘daily bread’.
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The Steam Engine
The definitive turning point for grain mills began with an automated system designed by Oliver Evans in the USA during the 1870s. This was improved in the UK, with a steam-driven model. Thanks to the steam engines powering this new model, there was an extraordinary upsurge in flour production.
